Retarding-valve.



Patented Jan; 8,1918.

Inventor.- lerqgmf eww,

LEROY M. LEWIS, OF MERIOIN', PENNSYLVANIA.

EETARDING-VALVE.

Application filed April 22, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY M. Lnwrs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Merion, county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Retarding- Valves, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My invention is especially adapted for use in connection with autoi'natic sprinkler systems of the wet type, that is the type in which the pipes are normally filled with water, and in which means are provided for giving a suitable alarm following the opening of one or more of the sprinkler heads in the system or the occurrence of a serious leak therein. Such systems are customarily supplied with a suitable valve, generally referred to as an alarm check valve or other suitable device, situated in the main supply pipe and arranged to open upon the opening of one of the sprinkler heads, or the occurrcnce of a leak, to permit a flow of water to take place through a suitably disposed pipe to actuate the alarms which may be of any desired construction and positioned at any desired point independently of and, if"

desired, removed from the alarm check valve.

In practice, however, it has been found that the employment of the water which flows through the alarm check valve or equivalent device to directly effect the actuation of the alarms is open to serious objections due in part to its varying pressures and frequently intermittent and pulsating flow arising from numerous causes well known to those familiar with the art, and which result in a correspondingly intermittentand fluctuating actuation of the alarms.

Moreover, as the pressure in the pipes on that side of the alarm check valve or equivalent device on which the heads are located and which I shall hereafter refer to as the system side of the valve, frequently varies on account of imprisoned air in the pipes and from other causes, whereby the alarm check valve may be caused to open from time to time to permit a certain amount of water to flow into the pipe leading to the alarm actuating devices which Would serve Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 8, 1918.

Serial No. 92,822.

to operate the alarms despite the fact that none of the heads in the system had opened or a serious leak occurred, it is desirable to provide means to prevent these intermittent flows from so operating the alarms and to insure that no alarm shall be given unless one of the heads has actually opened or a leak formed in the system sufiicient to cause a flow of water therethrough substantially equal to the amount which would fiow after the opening of a head.

Among the principal objects of my invention, therefore, are to provide a retarding valve whereby water from the main supply pipe of'the sprinkler system in which pipe the flow is constant, may be utilized to operate alarm devices or the'like after a continuous and adequate tiow of water has been established upon the system side of the alarm check valve or other equivalent device by the opening of a sprinkler head or the occurrence of a serious leak; and to provide a retarding valve suitable for operating alarm devices in connection with sprinkler systems which will serve to operate the alarms only upon the opening of a head in the system, or the occurrence of a serious leak therein whereby a constant flow of water of considerable volume through the system is established and which will prevent the operation of the alarms following small intermittent flows of water past the alarm check valve due to variations of pressure or from other causes.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a retarding valve having the foregoing characteristics, which shall serve to delay the operation of the alarm for a predetermined period after the opening of thealarm check valve or equivalent device independently of the pressure of the water in the system; which shall be simple of adjustment and readily adapted for installation; which shall be entirely automatic in action and positive in operation, and which will not require any manual setting or any attention whatsoever after it has been operated in order to again place it in condition to perform its function. I

My invention further includes all of the other various objects and novel features of 40 provided with a suitable aperture for the reception of the end of a pipe 22 leading" a suitable cover 5 removablysecured thereto by suitable bolts 6 extending through flanges provided therefor on the cover and on the casing, or in any other suitable manner. The cover is provided with a vertically projecting integral, preferably substantially cylindrical extension 8 having an internal chamber 9 which is closed by a suitable cap 10 secured to extension 8 by bolts 11, a flexible diaphragm 12 being arranged adjacent the upper end of the chamber to completely close the same and a coiled spring 13 being positioned above the diaphragm in a suitable cavity in the cap 10 to bear directly on the diaphragm or on a Washer 14 ar- .ranged on its upper surface whereby the diaphragm will be normally forced clownwardly to assume substantially the position shown in the drawing. Connected centrally of the diaphragm is a downwardly extending valve rod 16 carrying at its lower extremlty a preferably conical valve 17 ar-v ranged to seat agamst a suitable valve seat 18 disposed in the metal of the cover adja cent the upper end of the chamber 3, the surface of the valve 17 being preferably provided with a plurality of radially extending ridges 20 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The wall of the extension 8 is from the alarm check valve in the sprinkler system and through which water is conducted to the interior of the chamber 9 upon the'opening of that valve, it being understood that under normal conditions and with the alarm check valve closed the pipe 22 is empty.

Arranged beneath the valve 17 and within the chamber 3 is a vertically extending hollow tube 25, the lower end of which is attached to, and preferably surrounded by a suitable metallic float 26, the lower end of the float being arranged to act as a'valve normally seating upon a suitable valve seat 28 adjacent the bottom of the chamber and thus normally closing a, drain passage 29 leading downwardly out of the casing to a drain pipe 30. The tube 25 is preferably carried completely through the float and constricted adjacent its lower end to provide a relatively small axial passage 33 leading to the drain 29 for a purpose to :be herenafter described, and if desired, the'lower end of the float may also be extended as shown to form a guide 34 slidably movable within the passage.

Extending from the chamber 3 to the chamber 4 and preferably formed directly in the cover 5 when the same is cast, is a transfer port 38 of relatively large transverse area, the mouth of the port adjacent the chamber 4 being arranged above the open upper end of a hollow preferably metallic bucket 40 which is mounted on the upper extremity of a suitable vertical rod extending through a passage 42 in the bottom of the casing 1 and carrying adjacent its lowermost extremity a suitable conical valve 43, a guide 44 adjacent the upper end of the rod being supplied for the purpose of steadying the same. The bucket 40 is provided with a small passage or outlet 46 adjacent 7 its lower extremity for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

For the purpose of normally forcing the bucket vertically upward suitable means are provided comprising, in the form of the invention shown, a lever 47 fulcrumed on a suitable preferably knife-edge bearing 48 upon a support 49 mounted within the cas- 1ng, one end, 50, of the lever being suitably Y movably connected withthe rod 41 and the other end 51, being provided with a suitable counterpoise 52, of suflicient weight to normally depress the end of the lever when'the bucket 40 is empty and thus force the bucket upward to the limit of its possible vertical c movement. 7

Adjacent the bottom of the casing and suitably secured thereto as by bolts 60, is an auxiliary valve housing 61, providing internal chambers 62 and 63 separated by a partition 64, the chamber 62 being connected by means of a pipe 65 with the main supply pipe of the sprinkler system and the chamber 63 by means of a pipe 66 with the alarm device which it is desired'to operate upon the opening of one of the sprinkler heads. Secured in the upper part of the auxiliary valve housing and preferably axial With th rod '41 is a cylindrical'sleeve 70 closed at its adjacent upper extremity by a horizontally disposed partition 71, provided with an opening 72 adapted to be closed by the valve '43 which is arranged to seat therein the several parts being. so disposed and posi- I tioned that the valve 43 will normally be drawn by the action of the counterpoise 52 against this seat to close the opening 72 in the partitlon 71. Slidably disposed within the lower end of the sleeve 70 is a suitable disk 74 connected by a post 7 5 with a valve 63, the superficial area of the disk 74 being greater than the superficial area of the valve 76, and the disk being provided with a small port 78 through which-water introduced into the chamber 62 through the pipe 65 can pass up into the normally closed chamber formed in the interior of the sleeve above the disk 74 and below partition 71.

A drain passage 80 may also be provided in the wall of the casing to connect the passage 54 with the drain passage 29 and in turn with the drain pipe 30.

The parts having been constructed and as sembled substantially as hereinbefore described and the retarding valve connected by pipe 22 with the alarm check valve of the sprinkler system, by pipe 65 with the main supply pipe of the system, and by pipe 66 with alarm devices which it is desired to actuate, the operation of the invention may be briefly described as follows: It will be understood that with the retarding valve connected as just described pipe 22 is normally empty, while pipe 65, chamber 62 and in turn the interior of the sleeve 7 0 above the disk 7 4 are normally filled with water under a pressure similar to that in the supply pipe of the system and which will generally approximate, in practice, aboutlOO pounds to the square inch, and that under such conditions, valve 7 6 will be held firmly against its seat in the partition 64 to prevent the passage of water from chamber 62 to cham ber 63 and thence through pipe 66 to the alarm devices, the other parts of the invention assuming substantially the positions shown in the drawing.

Presuming now that a sprinkler head in the sprinkler side of the system is opened or a leak occurs therein, causing the alarm check valve to function, and thereby permit a continuous flow of water to take place through pipe 22 to chamber 9 and from thence past valve 17 to the interior of the tube 25, the latter will rapidly fill in suite of the constant escape of a small quantity of water through the passage 33, and when the tube has been filled, the water will overflow into chamber 3 and accumulate therein. During this operation, however, the float 26 will remain firmly againstits seat 28, as the weight of the water in the tube 25 when filled is sufficient to overbalance the natural buoyancy of the fioat,and after the chamber 3 is completely filled, the water will flow through transfer po t 38 and into the interior of the bucket 40. Presuming that sufficient water passes into the bucket to overbalance the normal tendency of eounterpoise 52 to force the bucket upwardly and. hold valve 43 againstits seat, the bucket will be depressed, thus opening valve 43 and permitting the water from the interior of the sleeve 70 to escape through passages 42, 80 and 29 to drain pipe 30, relieving the balanced pressure on disk 7 4 and permitting the valve 7 6 to open, thus establishing communieationbetween pipe/65 and pipe 66 through which, so long as valve 7 6 remains open, a steady flow of water will take place from the main supply pipe of the system to the alarm devices to operate the same continuously.

Upon the closing of the alarm check valve, however, the supply of water from pipe 22 is. at once cut off, and tube 25 rapidly empties itself through passage 83 to a point at which the natural buoyancy of fioat 26 can as ert itself to raise the float from the seat 28, an action which results in the almost instantaneous drainage of the chamber 3. While these operations are taking place, bucket 40 is also freeing itself of water through outlet 46, and its weight being shortly sufficiently decreased, the eounterpoise 52 will fall to its normal position, thus closing valve 43 against its seat. The chamber above disk 74 being now closed, the water passing therein through port 80 will back up instead of escaping past valve 43, thus increasing the pressure on the disk until it becomes suffieient to close valve 76, as heretofore described, to cut off the passage of water through pipe 66 to the alarm devices. The parts will thus automatically assume their normal position, as shown in Fig. 1 a very short time after the closing of the alarm check valve.

It will be evident that if an intermittent flow of water takes place past the alarm check valve through some momentary de crease in pressure in the sprinkler side of the system and hence through pipe 22, which, however, is not sufficient to fill the chamber 3 and overflow into the bucket 40 to overbalance the eounterooise and open valve 43, the valve 76 will remain closed, and the alarms will not operate, and furthermore, that once the bucket 40 has been depressed to open valve 48, a relatively considerable period of time is required even though no more water be introduced into the bucket, for enough water to escape through the outlet 46 to permit the bucket to rise and hence that the bucket will remain in its depressed position, and the valve 43 be held open, even though the fiow into the bucket be slightly intermittent or pulsating instead of constant, thus resulting in a continuous actuation of the alarm from its initial operation until the water ceases to flow.

It will be still further understood that the quantity of water flowing past the valve 17 will at all times be maintained substantially constant through the operation of the diaphragm 12, as if the pressure in pipe 22 and chamber 9 becomes excessive, the diaphragm will be forced upwardly and the valve 17 in turn moved toward its seat thus diminishing the area of'the passage past the valve, the ribs 20, however, on the valve tube 25. In consequence, in spite of varying pressures at the alarm check valve, the movement of valve 43 and consequent actuation of the alarm devices will always take place at a substantially predetermined interval after the opening of the alarm check valve.

lVhile I have herein described With considerable particularity a preferred embodiment of my invention and have referred to it as installed in connection with a sprinkler system having certain specific characteristics, I do not thereby desire or intend to limit myself specifically to that form of the invention, or method of installation, as it .will be evident that various changes and modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of the various parts, and that the invention may be installed in any desired manner in a sprinkler system or the like, other than that herein described, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

l. A retarding valve comprising a casing having chambers, a tube in one of said chambers, means to admit fluid to said tube, a valve adjacent another of said chambers, and means to actuate said valve upon the passage of a predetermined quantity of fluid from said first-mentioned chamber to the other of said chambers after said first-mentioned chamber and said tube are filled.

2. In a retarding valve, the combination I of a casing having a chamber, an auxiliary chamber ad acent said casing, means to admit fluid to said auxiliary chamber, a valve controlling a passage from said auxiliary chamber to said first mentioned chamber, and means comprising a spring pressed diaphragm in said auxiliary chamber operative to move said valve in conformity with the to said casing.

4t.v In a retarding valve, the combination with a casing providing a pair of chambers and a passage between said chambers, of a tube in one of said chambers, means to admit fluid to said tube, a bucket in the otherof said chambers, means to normally maintain said bucket in a given position, and a valve movable with said bucket, an overflow of fluid from said first mentioned chamber after the filling of said tube and said cham ber being operative to depress said bucket and open said valve. 7

5. A retarding valve comprising a casing having a chamber, and a drain therefor, means to admit fluid to said chamber, a

- float, means actuated by said float to control said drain, and fluid containing'means fixed with respect to said float operative to depress said float to close said drain when said chamber contains fluid and said fluid containing means also contains suflicient fluid to overcome the inherent buoyancy of said float.

6. A retarding valve comprising a casing having a chamber and a drain therefor, means to admit fluid to said chamber, a tube adapted to receive said fluid and having a constricted opening communicating with said drain, and means operative to close said drain when said chamber contains fluid and said tube also contains fluid above a predetermined level, and to open said drain when the fluid in said tube falls below said level.

7. A retarding valve comprising a casing, means to admit fluid from the sprinkler side of a' sprinkler system to said casing, a valve, means to admit fluid from the main supply pipe of the sprinkler system to one side of said valve, means to maintain said valve in normally closed position, and fluid-actuated means comprising a bucket and a counterpoise Within said casing operative to permit said valve to open at a predetermined interval after the opening of a sprinkler head in the system.

8. In a retarding device for a sprinkler system, the combination of a casing having a plurality of chambers, means to admit water to one of said chambers, means to normally retain said water in said chamber, an overflow passage connecting said chamber with another chamber, a movable bucket in said latter chamber, a valve movable with said bucket, means normally operative to hold said bucket in one position, a second valve, and means to effect the actuation of said second valve in conformity with the movement of said bucket and said first mentioned valve.

9. In a. retarding device for a sprinkler system, the combination of a casing having a' plurality of chambers, means to admit water to one of said chambers, an overflow passage to another of said chambers, a movable. bucket supported in said second chamber, means to maintain said bucket normally in one position, an auxiliary valve housing, a pressure controlled valve in said housing,

and means whereby the normal pressure on said valve will be relieved after the passage of a predetermined quantity of Water from said first mentioned chamber into said bucket to permit the movement of said pressure controlled valve.

10. In a retarding device for a sprinkler system, the combination of a casing having a plurality of chambers, means to admit water to one of said chambers, an overflow passage connecting said chamber with another chamber, a movable bucket in said latter chamber, a valve movable with said bucket, means normally operative to hold said bucket in one position, a second valve, and means to eflect the actuation of said second valve in conformity with the movement of said bucket and said first mentioned valve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of April, A. D. 1916.

LEROY M. LEWIS. [1 5.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

